Tuesday 30 August 2005

The man believed to have murdered 11-year-old Rory Blackhall was on
bail awaiting trial on child sex offences.

Simon Harris, 37, was found hanged at his council house in
Livington on Sunday, less than a mile from woods where Rory’s
body was discovered.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 30 August 2005 page
2

Statue to celebrate the ‘hoodie’

The maligned ‘hoodie,’ a mode of dress often associated
with anti-social behaviour, is to be celebrated in a bronze statue
commissioned for a town centre.

The decision by Angus Council is an attempt to acknowledge that the
majority of young people in hooded tops are not intent on causing
trouble. The statue, by artist Des Smith of Dundee University, will
be erected in Montrose, Scotland.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 30 August 2005 page
2

Couple flee abroad to fight against the ‘Big Brother
state’ that took their baby

A couple whose son was taken away by social workers over what they
say were false claims of mistreatment have moved abroad, fearing
that any more children they might have could also be seized.

Emma and Martin – not their real names, as a court ruling
prevents them being identified – strenuously deny harming
Peter and are attempting to challenge the court ruling that placed
him for adoption.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 30 August 2005 page 3
also comment page 21: How social services can seize our
children

Hoodie ban is dropped from Asbo

A teenager who was ordered not to wear a hooded top as part of an
antisocial behaviour order has been allowed to don it again after a
court heard the ban breached his human rights. Under the interim
Asbo, the 16-year-old was forbidden from wearing a hoodie or a
baseball cap that could obscure his face. He was also prevented
from entering certain streets in Portsmouth and barred from
associating with named youths.

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 30 August 2005 page 7

Young mother flees from fire in Newcastle refuge but
four-month-old baby is killed

A mother dialled 999 with her tongue in a desperate attempt to
raise the alarm during an arson attack on a home for vulnerable
women in which her four-month-old baby died.

Danielle Wails, 21, was badly burnt in the fire which she claims
was started by two men who broke in and bound her wrists together
with wire.

Source:- The Independent Tuesday 30 August 2005 page
4

Ban on extreme internet porn

The government is planning to ban the possession of violent
internet pornography, with jail terms of up to three years for
those convicted.

A consultation paper today proposes a ban on material depicting
“suffering, pain, torture and degradation”. Currently,
it is illegal to publish, sell or import such material, but not to
possess it.

Source:- The Times Tuesday 30 August 2005 page 3

Bomb trauma victims get £1m counselling on NHS

The NHS is to offer victims of the London bombings tests for
post-traumatic stress disorder if they are still suffering from
trauma symptoms.

Witnesses, the injured and the bereaved will be invited for tests
in the first such initiative of its kind in England.

Source:- The Times Tuesday 30 August 2005 page 20

State pension blunders short-change 5m savers

Pensioners could lose out on benefits from the state second pension
because of government miscalculations about their savings
records.

Trustees have told the Department of Work and Pensions that their
records for the scheme were unreliable which could leave the
government pocketing money that should have been given to
pensioners.

However, they said that in most cases the impact was minimal.

Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 30 August 2005 page 6

Scottish news

Rory suspect missed court on child sex charges

The man who has now emerged as the prime suspect in the murder of
Rory Blackhall was on bail awaiting trial for sex charges when the
11-year-old disappeared.

Police yesterday identified the body of Simon Harris who was found
on Sunday at his rundown former council home in Livingston.

Harris, who is believed to have committed suicide, had been due to
appear in court on August 22, the day after Rory’s body was
discovered, according to the Crown Office. However, he failed to
turn up and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Source:- The Herald Tuesday 30 August

Fury over £1,500 ‘hoodie’ statue plan

Angus Council is to immortalise ned culture by paying an artist
£1,500 of public money to create a statue of a “hoodie”.

It has commissioned Des Smith, a student at Dundee University’s
Duncan of Jordanstone School of Art, to do the work, which will go
on display in Montrose. The statue – called Nike – is Smith’s
interpretation of the hooded-top “chav” characters that have
received notoriety in Britain. But some people have criticised the
council for using public money to fund the project.

Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 30 August

Let pupils swear in school, argues parents’ group

Pupils should be allowed to swear in the classroom rather than be
punished for their four-letter-word outbursts, Scottish parents’
representatives have said.

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council said teachers exacerbate the
use of bad language in school by overreacting to commonly used
swear words. The comment comes after a school in England provoked
an angry reaction among traditionalists by announcing it would
allow the use of swear words up to five times per lesson to
encourage pupils to think about their language.

Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 30 August

Neds stole my wheelchair and my life

A young mum has been left stranded after thieves stole her electric
wheelchair. Karena Young relied on the chair to look after her
four-year-old son Justin and get him to nursery. The wheelchair was
stolen on a Saturday morning after Young left it outside a friend’s
house in Aberdeen.

Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 30 August

Welsh news

Inquest opened into death of baby

An inquest had begun after a four-month-old baby was found dead at
his home in West Wales.

The cause of Connor Finlay Platt’s death has not yet been
found. The coroner is awaiting the results of forensic tests.

Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 30 August

Violent pupils raise staff fears

A pupil is excluded on average every four and a half minutes in
Wales, according to new official figures.

The National Assembly figures also show the number of children
suspended from Welsh schools has doubled compared to four years
ago.